Hinge mechanism.



G. A. LONG.

HINGE MECHANISM.

APPLICAHON FILED FEB. 18, 1914.

Patented May 4, 1915.

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GEORGE A. LONG, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE GRAY TELEPHONE PAY STATION COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF GON- NECTICUT.

HINGE MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 18, 1914. Serial No. 819,316.

.nism, among the principal objects of the invention being the provision of means which is simple in construction, easy and inexpensive to make and by which a door or equivalent part can be automatically closed without the use of a spring or analogous means but which at the same time permits free opening of the door. Hinge mechanism involving my invention can be .employed with advantage in a variety of dif ferent connections, although it is of especial utility when incorporated in or forming part of the cabinet or box containing a telephone-pay station such as is shown in Letters Patent No. 727,653 granted to me on May 12, 1903.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification I have shown in detail one of the several con venient forms of embodiment of the invention, which to enable those skilled in the art to practice the same, will be set forth fully in the following description. -I do not restrict myself to said disclosure; I may depart therefrom in several respects within the scope of the invention defined by the claim following said description.

Referring to said drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation of a cabinet or box provided with a door and also provided with hinge mechanism involving my invention. Fig. 2 is a view on a larger scale of the door-closing mean and the two hinges, the members of the hinges being shown in section.

Like characters refer to like parts in both views.

The numeral 2 denotes a cabinet or box provided with a swinging door. 3. The cabinet or box is provided with knuckles 4 and 5 which as shown are in vertical alinement and as extending outward at right angles from the front of said cabinet. This particular relation is, however, not essential. The door 3 is equipped with laterally extending knuckles 6 and 7 in Patented May a, 1915.

alinement with each other depthwise of the door, the knuckles 4c and 6 cooperating while the knuckles 5 and 7 cooperate to present the main members of superposed hinges. Pivotally connecting the two sets of knuckles are pintles .8 and 9. One pintle is rigidly connected with one member of one of the hinges and extends freely through the other member of said particular hinge, while with the other hinge the relation is reversed. This permits free swinging and up and down movement of the door or its equivalent 3, and at the same time prevents accidental displacement of said door by reason .of the heading of the pintles in the manner hereinafter described. As shown the upper pintle 9 extends freely through ;a vertical bore in the upper knuckle 5, while it is driven in a registering bore in the companion knuckle 7. The lower pintle 8 is fitted rigidly in a vertical bore in the knuckle 6 and extends freely into a registering bore in the knuckle 6 both the pintles being headed at their upper ends as at 10.

In the patent to which I have referred there is shown cam means for automatically closing a door as '3. This cam means constitutes a part of the lower hinge member. I have found that it is a difficult matter to bore these hinge members when their adjacent surfaces are of cam form. It will be noted that neither of the hinges shown and described herein is cammed or similarly formed; they in fact play no part in the automatic closing of the door, this office being secured by means independent of the two hinges. I prefer to locate the door-closing means between the two hinge members and the cam means being inclependent of the same, the door can be the more easily opened and closed as there is no tendency to cause lateral binding of either of the hinge pintles as is the case when the cam means constitutes a part of a hinge.

The cam means may vary radically, although that now to be described has been found satisfactory. On the cabinet or box 2 is a knuckle 11, while the door 3 is furnished with a like knuckle 12, the two imperforate knuckles being in engagementwith each other and their engaging faces being spirally disposed. In the construction shown the axes of the two spirals are coincident and are coincident with the axes of the two pintles 8 and 9 so as to afiectin no faces of spiral form in that the door can be closed in a uniform manner and without a jerky motion. In addition to this there is constantly a firm, substantial. contact between the two parts 11 and 12, Preferably the several hinge members and the two cam members Willbe in alinement in the direction of the axis of motion of the door. When the door is shut as shown in Fig. 1, the hinge" member '6 will rest on the hinge member 4, while the hinge member 7 will be spaced or separated from the companion hinge member 5. On opening the door the spiral under surface of the lug 12' is caused to ride up the engaging spiral surfaces of the fixed knuckle 11, the door 3 at the same time being elevated owing to the fact that the parts 6, 12 and 9 are rigid therewith.

When the door is freed, it will be automati-' cally closed; that is to say it will descend by gravity and as it does so the spiral'face of the lug 12 will ride down the spiral surface of the mating knuckle'll, the spiral Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by Washington, D. 6.

surfaces being of sufficient extent as to secure full closing of the door while permitting maximum opening thereofv WVhat I claim is:

Hinge mechanism comprising upper and lower hinges, pintles for connecting the knucklesIof the hinges and headed at their upper ends, the upper pintle extending freely through the upper knuckle of the upper hinge and being driven into the lower knuckle of the upper hinge and the lower pintle being driven into the upper knuckle of the lower hinge and extending freely into the lower knuckle of the lower hinge, and door closing cams interposed between the hinges, the engaging surfaces of the cams being imperforate, one of the cams being rigid with the door and the other being supported independently of the door.

In testimony whereof I aflix ture in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE A. LONG.

Witnesses:

HEATH SUTHERLAND, L. L. MARKEL.

addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

my 'signa- 

